Driver killed mum and injured girl, 16, in horror 71mph hit-and-run crash after ploughing into her while fleeing cops

A MAN has been jailed for killing a mum and seriously injuring her husband and a teen in a hit-and-run while he fled from police. Lydia la Polla, 47, died minutes after serial offender Michael Connors, 28, was seen behind the wheel of a silver Mercedes driving erratically without a license or insurance. Mrs La Polla was described a mum with a ‘heart of gold’ Credit: WNS Lydia la Polla died minutes after Connors was seen behind the wheel Credit: North Wales Police Driving her Toyota Yaris with her husband, the mum with a “heart of gold” was killed within minutes by Connors’ 63mph crash. Mrs La Polla’s car was sent “airborne” and rolled over before it smashed into a boundary wall which was demolished due to the force of the crash, and trapped her husband into the car. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! Connors appeared before Mold Crown Court today, where he was jailed for 13 years and one month for causing the death of Mrs La Polla, and seriously injuring the other victims. The criminal was also banned from driving for a further eight years, and told he must serve two thirds of his sentence behind bars. Connors crossed two junctions without looking before crash Credit: North Wales Police The collision happened shortly after 9:30pm on March 24, 2025 between Belgrave Road and Percy Road in Hightown, Wrexham, North Wales. Connors had driven at a speed of at least 71mph in the moments before the crash in a 20mph zone – but had braked shortly before impact reducing the speed to 63mph. The 16-year-old passenger in Connors’ vehicle feared she had been paralysed when the force of the crash broke her back. Connors survived the chase and crash unscathed, before he ran from the scene leaving four wraps of cannabis in his Mercedes. Most read in The Sun Immediately fleeing to Ireland, he was held in Dublin under an international arrest warrant, and eventually returned to the UK. Connors of Ballyfermot, Dublin, pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and two charges of causing serious injury by dangerous driving. In a victim personal statement Mr La Polla described his wife as his “absolute soulmate”. He said: “We were connected on a level so profound that I feel half of myself died in that hospital room with her. “Our close knit family has been shattered into a thousand pieces. To say that I am heartbroken doesn’t touch the surface of this empty, aching, void.” Jane Miller, defending, said father-of-two Connors would have to live with the consequences of his actions for the rest of his life. Judge Simon Mills said: “Her excellent life was needlessly cut short at the age of 47, not far from her 25th wedding anniversary. “Lydia lived a good life devoted to her family and community, her loss has been catastrophic and the harm the defendant did will never be healed.” He told Connors: “You chose to make off from the scene leaving the people where they were having to be cut out of vehicles or laying on the road in agony. “You should simply have stopped. Once it became apparent you were being followed by the police you decided to try and escape and you made off at speed.” At the time of her death, Mrs La Polla’s family said: “Life will never be the same without her. “Lydia had a true heart of gold and would always be there for others with her selfless acts of kindness. “She was devoted to her family and friends. “The night of Monday 24 March has scarred us for the rest of our lives. Life will never be the same without her.”